A burial that was not: Chennai doctor's last rites see attacks, protest amidst coronavirus fears

Fifty-five-year-old Dr Simon Hercules had devoted his life to treating patients, but when he died on Sunday evening after testing positive for COVID-19, the society this neurosurgeon served for decades failed him big time.

Dr Simon, Managing Director of New Hope Medical Centre, could not be given a proper burial due to protests from locals at a crematorium in this metropolis.

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After locals attacked those who gathered at the crematorium in Vellangadu near upscale Anna Nagar to bid goodbye to the doctor with stones, sticks, and glass, a surgeon who worked with the dead doctor took up the job on himself and buried his senior with his bare hands.

‘Doctors are humans too’

“We (doctors) are humans too. This should not happen to anybody. The doctor was buried with nobody around him. Just me and two ward boys from our hospital. It is said that a man who served the society and lived for it went down with just three people around him,” Dr K Pradeep Kumar, Orthopaedic and Arthroscopy Surgeon, told DH.

Dhamu, a driver of the ambulance that was used to transport Dr Simon’s body, said people gathered at the crematorium after hearing the sound of an earthmover that was being used to dig the pit to bury the body.

“Some 300 people gathered and started pelting stones and bottles at us. We had to withstand the attack since I and another driver, Anand, were carrying the body from the vehicle to the ground. We could not have dropped the body on the ground. I drove the vehicle with broken glasses for a few km before going to a government hospital for first aid,” Dhamu said, choking every few seconds.

Locals did not want the body of the doctor buried in their air due to misconception that COVID-19 could spread from the body.

The burial with just three people

After the unfortunate incident, Dr Pradeep Kumar went to his hospital wore the PPE and took control of the wheels of the broken ambulance to see-off his boss.

“When I reached the burial ground, there was nobody there to help us. The police were in good numbers to ensure that nothing untoward takes place again. With just two ward boys, we lowered the casket and began the burial. There was none to push sand into the grave. I did it with my bare hands. I was scared for two reasons – one is the fear of the mob arriving again and the other is we need to give him (Dr Simon) a proper burial. He needs to rest in peace,” Dr Pradeep Kumar said.

Narrating the harrowing experience, Dr Pradeep Kumar said only a few people from the doctor’s family – his daughter has tested positive for COVID-19 – had come to the burial ground and everyone, including the body, were subjected to attack from stones and sticks.

“They (the mob) threw stones and bottles and everyone had to run from the place for their safety. No one had any other choice. We had to disperse, and it was quite a task to get my senior’s body back into the ambulance. The ambulance drivers were bleeding, but they were strong and drove it till I took the wheels from one of them,” Dr Pradeep Kumar said.

A nice soul has gone too soon

Dhamu, the ambulance driver who along with Anand, was injured and had to get stitches on their heads, said he began working with Dr Simon a decade ago and left his hospital two years back to drive his own ambulance vehicle.

“My ambulance was attached to the hospital, thanks to Simon sir. He was such a wonderful human being who had helped several people. I cannot digest people can be so heartless to oppose the burial of a nice soul. He was a doctor after all, who treated people and dedicated his life serving them,” Dhamu added.

In a moving video, Dr Bagyaraj, a microbiologist with the hospital owned by Dr Simon, asked whether this was what doctors earn for doing service to the people.

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“Is this the price? How will doctors feel safe? We could not save him, but we could have at least given him a proper burial. We could not even do that. Will his soul rest in peace? Without understanding that there was no harm in burying the dead though they have had COVID-19, people protested and made us feel bad about coming into this profession,” he said.

Health Secretary Dr Beela Rajesh tweeted: “Salutations to Dr Simon Hercules for his exemplary service in the fight against Covid19. Let us stand by each and every healthcare worker, they are the real heroes.”

Meanwhile, Chennai Police have arrested 20 people for indulging in violence at the burial ground on Sunday night.